Michael Clarke considering return to first-class cricket

FORMER Australia captain Michael Clarke is reportedly considering a return to first-class cricket and won’t rule out an international comeback, telling the Daily Telegraph on Sunday “I’ll never say never to anything.”

The 34-year-old Clarke retired after the Ashes defeat last August, and after a series of personal setbacks. He battled a back injury which affected his form, fell out with the Australia selectors and administration, and struggled with the accidental death of his close friend and teammate Phil Hughes.

Clarke told News Corp he will likely return to cricket in a Sydney club match between Western Suburbs and Randwick-Petersham on Feb. 20. He said his break from cricket had allowed him to recover from his back injury and reminded him cricket is “in my blood.”

“So I’ll start with playing this grade game for Western Suburbs and see if I miss it as much as I feel like I’m going to,” Clarke said. “If I do, the option is there to train the entire winter and then we’ll see what happens.”

Clarke said he might follow other former internationals by playing in lucrative Twenty20 competitions, at least Australia’s Big Bash and the Indian Premier League. He would then consider a first-class return for New South Wales before weighing other options.

Clarke said he felt fit enough to continue.

“I’ve still been training all the time,” he said. “Training has always been such a big part of my life and I enjoy it, so my body is feeling amazing and my back feels outstanding.”